When was St. Mary saved from original sin?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, we distinguish our theology clearly from that of the Roman Catholics and Protestants. To understand when St. Mary was "saved" or purified from the effects of original sin, we must look at the moment of the Annunciation.

1. The Rejection of the "Immaculate Conception"

The Coptic Orthodox Church does not accept the Roman Catholic dogma of the "Immaculate Conception," which claims St. Mary was born without original sin. We believe that St. Mary was born through the natural union of her parents, Joachim and Anna, and, like all human beings, she inherited the fallen nature and the sentence of death passed down from Adam. As she herself stated in the Magnificat, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior", acknowledging her own need for salvation.

2. The Purification at the Annunciation

The Coptic Orthodox Church teaches that St. Mary was purified from the stain of original sin at the moment the Holy Spirit descended upon her during the Annunciation.

When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and she gave her consent, saying, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38), the Holy Spirit came upon her. In the words of the Archangel: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35).

At this specific moment, the Holy Spirit:

• Purified her: He cleansed her nature from the inherited corruption of original sin.
• Sanctified her: He made her a holy vessel fit to contain the Uncontainable God.
• Preserved her: He ensured that the flesh the Word took from her was "pure and impeccable."

3. The Theological Necessity

As St. Athanasius the Apostolic and St. Cyril of Alexandria explain, for the Word of God to become man, He had to take a complete human nature from a pure source. If she had not been purified by the Holy Spirit, the flesh of Christ would have been subject to the corruption of Adam's fall.

Therefore, she was "saved" from original sin by the grace of God the moment she became the Theotokos. This was a "preventative" salvation—she was saved by the merits of the Cross of her Son, applied to her by the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Incarnation, so that the Savior could be born of a pure Virgin.

4. Comparison with Other Groups

• Jews: Deny the divinity of Christ and the perpetual virginity/sanctity of St. Mary entirely.
• Protestants: Often downplay her role, sometimes failing to recognize her unique purification, treating her as a "common" woman, which contradicts the biblical witness that she is "Full of Grace" and "Blessed among women."
• Coptic Orthodox: We honor her as the "Second Heaven" and the "Burning Bush," who was specifically prepared and purified by God to bear the Divine Fire without being consumed.